James Hamilton (soldier)

James Hamilton (2 May 1791-1818) was a US Army soldier during the War of 1812.

Biography
James Hamilton was illegitimately born in New York City, New York in 1791, and his mother died while he was an infant, leading to him growing up in numerous households. He was an abused child who was a poor student and a person who could not hold down a job. He married Catherine Pullis, but he visited whorehouses along the East Coast and was also a drunkard. During the War of 1812, he enlisted and served in the US Army to escape from his vice-filled life, deserting numerous times before being honorably discharged in 1817. In 1818, he re-enlisted, only to shoot and kill his commander after a dispute. Just before his execution for murder, he dictated a confession that catalogued his misdeeds.